"I've been in the swimming pool and on the bike a little bit but it's still going to be four or five weeks until I'm back on the tennis court hitting some balls.

"The rehab process is pretty tedious and long and I don't want to come back too soon and have to start that process all over again. I'll only come back when I'm 100% fit and I hope that's at the beginning of the year."

Andy Murray may have lost his US Open trophy but he's still got the fighting spirit required for his new hotelier career -- he's only gone and nicked someone else's chef for his own hotel!

Darin Campbell, who is currently executive head chef at the Hotel du Vin - One Devonshire Gardens, Glasgow, will start work at Murray's Cromlix House (the newest member of Small Luxury Hotels of the World) in January. The hotel won't open until April, but Campbell will be working on the menu for the restaurant to be run by Michelin-starred chef Albert Roux.

Prior to joining the Hotel du Vin in 2011, Campbell was head chef at the two-Michelin star Restaurant Andrew Fairlie at Gleneagles, and other hotel kitchens he's slaved away in include the Sheraton Grand, and The Capital Hotel in London's Knightsbridge.

We're getting pretty excited about Murray's hotel ventures; with moves like these we see a bright future for him in the hotel biz once he's hung up his racket for good.

Opening night at the Cromlix is April 1st, when rates start at GBP 210 ($334)

Open or risk disrupting his year, says Boris BeckerBoris Becker says Andy Murray must aim to be back in action at the Australian Open after last month's back surgery or risk jeopardising his 2014 campaign.

Painful: Andy Murray is finding the rehab process tedious following back surgery but is wary of returning to action too soon Photo: GETTY IMAGESBy Simon Briggs7:45PM BST 21 Oct 2013 CommentAs Andy Murray continues his pool-based rehab after last month’s back surgery, three-time Wimbledon champion Boris Becker says he needs to target January’s Australian Open for his comeback.If he is not fit by then, Becker suggests, alarm bells will start to ring.“I think we should all be concerned,” said Becker on Monday. “This surgery is not a minor thing. I don’t know exactly what’s wrong with Andy’s back but usually there’s too much inflammation and there’s something they do to take away the pressure.“It’s a serious injury, no joke, not a torn muscle or twisted ankle. You only have one spine.“It would make no sense for him to come back quickly, risk not being healed, and play at the O2 [venue for next month’s ATP World Tour Finals]. I understand that. He should be back for the Australian Open, that has to be the goal. There’s still time, but I think we should get concerned if he’s not playing in Melbourne. If not, that will be a blow for his year.”

Murray confirmed a fortnight ago, after his first post-op check-ups, that the O2 is a non-starter for him. His first engagement now looks likely to be a gentle exhibition tournament in Barbados, the Dream Cup at the Saint Peter’s Bay resort, at the end of November, with a likely return to competition in Brisbane in the first week of the new year.But predicting timescales for these sorts of recoveries is notoriously difficult. When Murray visited Buckingham Palace last week to receive his OBE from the Duke of Cambridge, he was asked if he would be fit in time to play the Australian Open.“I hope so,” came the reply, “but I’m not going to come back unless I’m 100 per cent fit. It’s still going to be four or five weeks until I’m back on the tennis court hitting some balls. The rehab process is pretty tedious and long and I don’t want to come back too soon and have to start that process all over again.”Like most top players, Becker had problems with his own back during a 15-year professional career. He used to receive monthly anti-inflammatory injections from Dr Hans Müller-Wohlfahrt, who creates his own controversial serum from cockerel’s crests. But he is grateful that he was never forced to go under the knife.“Tennis is a difficult sport for the back with all the bending and the serving and the leaning,” said Becker. “I am surprised there are not more disc problems among the players. It was a weak part of my body because of the arch of the serve and the landing after.“There comes a point when you can’t take the pain any more. Andy’s style is more grinding, with long baseline rallies and therefore there are more aspects of your body that are exposed.”The Paris Masters starting on Oct 28 and Barclays ATP World Tennis Finals starting on Nov 4 are part of an unrivalled schedule of live tennis on Sky Sports

OOOf! Get a grip Boris! Does he seriously think Andy is not aiming to be in Oz and will be gutted if he doesn't make it. But he would be even more gutted if he came back before he was ready and set back his recovery. No doubt we will see more of this type of stuff when the season ends and they have nothing else to write about. 'Rise above it' as they sing in Cool Runnings!

In a year highlighted by steep falls and stunning comebacks, the race for a place in the top eight of the season-ending ATP World Tour Finals in London continues. As this season concludes, the situation at the top of men's tennis remains a toss-up. 2014 will likely confirm that there is no longer a 'big 2', 'big 3', or 'big 4' in men's tennis.

And this in itself is a sea change for tennis, always characterised by the dominance of a few players in each era. The 'big 4' are starting to show battle scars now. Andy Murray has had season-ending back surgery, Rafa Nadal is seemingly fatigued after the strain of a resurgent year that sees him at the top of the rankings again.

Roger Federer has had a torrid 2013 in which he has been written off, pegged for imminent retirement and is also in danger of missing out on London. Novak Djokovic has had an up-and-down year at best, although the last month has seen his play and results improve.

If anything, this season thus far has shown that there is greater depth in men's tennis than ever before, and this trend should continue into 2014. This year has been widely acknowledged for three things—the return and rise of Rafa, the fall of Roger, and the 77-year drought breaking Wimbledon victory by a British man, Murray.

But, lurking in the shadows is the realisation that there are other contenders who no longer fear the big 4, and are set to break the long-standing shackles of the eras of dominance, heading into an unpredictable 2014.

Juan Martin Del Potro and Stanislas Wawrinka are legitimate threats, as they will look to finish in 2014 what they started in 2013, along with possible contenders, like Milos Raonic and Richard Gasquet. There are numerous reasons why the 'big 4's' era, or in fact the periods of total dominance by a couple of players are coming to an eventual close.

Tennis's popularity over the last few decades has continuously attracted elite talent from across the world, making it a deep pool with bevy of equally competitive players. A more pragmatic explanation is the gruelling schedule on predominantly hard courts which shortens the longevity of players, and increases the risk of injury.

Hard court surfaces are tougher on players' bodies and the predictable bounce and spin on the surface increases the probability of longer and more physical matches. This has led to an increase in stylistically similar games with a cluster of elite players in more competitive matchups. Huge serves, pounding groundstrokes, and fitness levels that allow consistent marathon matches have become the norm.

Players are taller, stronger, faster and fitter today, and this is the new normal. 2014 could still see a healthy Nadal or Murray or a once-more confident Djokovic make it a banner year. Even Federer, now with few points to defend and without the burden of unrealistic expectations could well make a play for major number 18.

However, it's only a matter of time before the rest of the pack catches up to the current 'big 4' and disbands the notion of dominance eras going forward. Between the toll that injuries and fatigue could take on the 'big 4', and the depth in men's tennis today with various players backing themselves to win consistently at the highest level, we are witnessing a metamorphosis in men's tennis that will likely be the norm rather than exception in the next few years. Men's tennis is alive and well, even without the notion of a 'big 4'.

Juan Martin Del Potro and Stanislas Wawrinka are legitimate threats, as they will look to finish in 2014 what they started in 2013, along with possible contenders, like Milos Raonicand Richard Gasquet. There are numerous reasons why the 'big 4's' era, or in fact the periods of total dominance by a couple of players are coming to an eventual close.

The big 4, well big 3 now imo, will continue to dominate all the big events next year. The rest will be luck to get one masters title between them in 2014 as usual.

All slams and Masters series titles to date have been won by members of "the big four", so they can't say it no longer has a grip on the big titles. It's just that as a group, one member hasn't been pulling his weight.

Despite Fed not winning anything of note so far in 2013, the remaining three members have taken up the slack, and not let any outsiders get a look in.

It'll be interesting to see if that can continue into next year, especially if Andy has a slow start. With Fed dropping down the rankings, and the possibility of Andy not being top four, it opens up the possibility of someone else getting a lucky draw. They'd still have to hope for a sub-par Rafa and Nole.

That said, it would be nice to see someone new step things up. Delpo seems the obvious choice, but he's so very hit and miss, there could be a long wait for him to coincide his deep run at a slam/Master with sub-par performances from the usual victors.

The funny thing about what Becker said is that I read something yesterday which quotes Becker as saying Andy can come back, get to world no.1 and he should target that.

Personally I'm sick of 'experts' telling Andy what he should be doing and what his goals/targets should be. Clearly him being right for the AO would be helpful, but if he's not, he's not.

Only Andy and those around him know the exact nature of his back injury. Only him and those around him know exactly what the surgery entailed. Frankly only Andy knows how he feels at this point, so Becker and every other Tom, Dick and Harry former player should shut up. It was bad enough when they were forming a queue to suggest Andy didn't have a back injury without them doom mongering now.